Steam plant



F. WETTSTEIN STEAM PLANT Jan. 29, 1929. 1,700,050

Filed Aug. 16, 1926 4 wN I OR I BY v Patented Jan. 29, 1929.

"UNITED STATES 1 1,700,650 A PATENT oFF E Y,

' lIBITZ WE'I'TSTEIN, Q1! SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY, .A SSIGNOR TO BUTHS ACCUEULATOR COMZE ANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DETJAWARE.

STEAM PLANT.

Application filed August 16, 1926. Serial No. 129,298.

In one phase, my'invention consistsin a novel desuperheater and a novel method of desuperheating. In order to transfer superheated steam into dry and saturated steam I pass the superheated steam through a large body of water so that intimate contact of steam wlth water is obtained, giving perfect saturated steam.

In another phase, my invention relates to process Work in industrial plants and more particularly to temperature control of steam foruse in processes. The majority of steam plants in industrial plants, at leastthose of I appreciable size, generate superheated steam.

superheated steam is primarily generated because of its advantages in use in the ordinary types of prime movers. superheated steam, being generated for the above and other purposes, is also used for process work. Many processes require close regulation of temperature. In using superheated steam temperature responsive regulators are necessary. Temperature regulators are never as sensitive as pressure regulators but pressure regulators cannot be used with superheated steam because there is no relationbetween tempera ture and pressure in superheat. I

My present invention relatesto plants generating superheated steam and has for one purpose to control the temperature of steam supplied to process work, the temperature being controlled by a novel combination of pressure control and 'desuperheatmg.

? My invention is illustrated in the accompan'ying drawing which shows a steam plant or parts of a steam plant, more or less d agrammatically, laid out in accordance wlth the invention. v g

Reference character 10 designates the plant steam generator which. may comprise one or more boilers of any desired type. Steam generated in the steam generator passes through a superheater 11 and thence to a mam hlgh pressure conduit 12. Feedwater is supplied to the steam generator through conduit 13 with "steam demand.

Super-heated steam is supplled from. conduit 12 to turbine 16'. The turbine 16 may be ofany type." A condensing turbineis indie cated by way of example comprising a con-.

denser 17. Supply of steam to the turbine is controlled by speed governor 18. v

Reference character 20 designates a low pressure conduit in the steam plant to which steam consumers 21 are cdnnected. The

steam consumers 21 are connected to conduit 20 by means of branch conduits 22 controlled by valves 23. The steam plantindicated may be considered as a portion of a rubber plant 1 and consumers 21 may be considered to be vulcamzing presses. It is extremely necessary that a constant temperature be obtained in presses 21.

This has previously been obtained by conducting superheated steam from. i

conduit 12 to conduit 20 and interposing-temperature regulators in place of valves 23 governed by the temperature in branch conduits 22. In the preferred form of my invention I propose to eliminate the temperature controls and substitute ordinary hand valves 23 and v control the temperature of steam'in conduit 20 as will now be described.

A conduit 25 conducts superheated steam from conduit 12 to the water space of an ex tremely large receptaele 26 Receptacle 26 hasa water space 27 and a steam space '28.

It is preferably made so as to have a large water surface or steam disengaging surface. If all the generated superheated steam passes through receptacle 26, the steam disengaging surface of receptacle 26 should be greater than the total steam disengaging surface of steam generator 10 if ordinary boilers are used to make up the steam generator. Re-

ceptacle'26 is a desuperheater. Conduit 20v is connected to the steam space of desuperheater 26. It'will be seen from the above de- 'scription and the accompanying drawing that, if the desuperheater is maintained filled with water tothe necessary amount, the steam passing through the desuperheater and into conduit 20 will become saturated. I am aware that it is not new to desuperheat steam. This has previously been done by injecting water into a steam conduit. This system of'water injection is ineflicient to properly desuperheat. A. spray is formed and some of the :water remains as water and it is possible to have superheated steam in contact with water. By passing the superheated steam throughan appreciable sized body of water, a

true desuperheated effect is obtained and the result will be dry' and saturated steam. ,As

superheated steam is desuperhea'ted' it evaporates water in desuperheater 26." The water in desuperheater 26 is replenished .by means of a water supply conduit 30. The sup ply of water through conduit 30 may be regulate'dby hand or it may be automatically regulated as by means of a float 31 controlling a valve 32 which valve governs the flow of water from conduit 30 into desuperheater 26. j

Conduit. 33 is another water supply conduit and is controlled by a hand valve 34-.{This conduit controlled by a hand valve canbe used independently of conduit 30 or 'incong in conduit and transmitted throu htube junction therewit v p a a a In conduit 25 is a valvel35 controlling flow through the same which valve is moved in response to variation of pressure 'occurring 36 onto onesideofpiston37y Any hid of valve regulation may be used so lon as it operates to decrease flow through con uit 25, upon risejof pressure in conduit/2O and'to, increase flow upon drop of pressure incon-v duit 20 and tends to maintain a constant pressureincondu'it 20. By means of this regulation the-pressure: in conduit 20 can be made exact and so that/it will'vary only within fractions of-a pound, Thiswill give a temperature variation of the "saturated steam in'conduit 20 ,ofvery minute degree; Besides utilizin theabilityfloia pressure u'egula'tor to maintain a' closercontrlollthan temperature re lation, I, have utilized the fact that there isa relatively small variation of temperature for a relatively large'variation of pressure.*

While I have statedthatI: refer to elimi nate the temperature contro it is "obvious that this may be used in conjunction'with I P Qn it is to be understood "that the -in .vention is not limited thereto.

pressure controlv above outlined and by'such arrangement a more exact temperature-will be .obtained' than has been previously the It will be noted that the control ofthe steam is the control of the superheated steam There is; no

ahead of the desuperheater; valve in conduit 20; The reason for controlling the steam ahead of the desuperheater is to eliminate any throttling effect after the steam has passed through the. desuperheater and become dry and saturated. I While I have described one Having thus described my invent on, 'I claim is--- 1 In combination, a source of superheated steam, a desuperheater comprising a receptabody of water.

'said conduit ffonlcontrollini form 'of my; v

f clecontaining water,means tobondjuct steam 1 from said'sourceand into "said desuperheater 7 to pass throughthe Waterthrein; a 'c'on du'it ,for conveying steam fromsaiddesuperheater, 120, meanslto supply waterftgj said desuperheater and maintain "a constantj water-level therein and means to control flow ofisteam into the 2. Themethod of generating and dispensing steam which comprises generating superheated steam, passing the su erheated steam through a bodyof water an controlling the flow of steam through the bodyof-waterlin accordance with variations of pressure in the saturated steam leaving-the body of water,

a. 3. The method offgenerating and dispensing steam which comprises generating super heated steam passing" the superheated steam v through a ho y of {water and-1n contact there,-

withand controlling the flow of steam' through the body of water so that the steam has a constantpressure after leaving the 4; In combination, 1 "aj-s'team generator, means to supp] water to. said steam generator, water leve responsive means to control supply of'feed water tothe'steam'generator, a superheater, meansto conduct steam from said generator to said superheater, a desuperheater comprising. raireceptaclehaving a water space and a steam space, a passage for steam from said superheatcr tothe water space of said desuperheater, aWhlfinsaid pas sage, a steamv conduit connected to'the steam space, of said "desuperheater ,ior supplying I steam .to use, means responsive to pressure in a I I p said valve andoperating tofincrease flow t rough the valve on decrease of pressure; means to supply Water to said desuperheater and mechanism responsive Lto' water} level in said desuper-. heater to control the supplyiof water to the de superheater.

5. In combination, a source of superheated steam, a desuperheater comprising areceptacle containin'gwatenand-hfl n a-waters ace and a steam'space, a passage or steam em] said source to thewater spm of said desuperi 1 5 a heater, a, consumer, .anifuninterrupted con duit for steam from the stc'aam space of said desuperheaterfto the ivicinityk'of the con. sumer for supplying' steam; to the "consumer,

a valve in sadipassagegtocontrol'flow of no steam from v the sourcej Klithe} desup'erheater a. and automatic means to control the valveto',

maintain a. constant temperature of steam "in a a v aid conduit.

'- 6. In combinatiom-a'source Ot u erhaaa steam, a desuperheat'ercomprising, a recepta desuperheater: in' response. to.-1-pressureof steam leaving the desuperheater. tomaintain .said pressure'constant i a v 7.- The meth' d of 'desuperheating which comprises generating superheated steam, passing. the superheated steam through a body of water andin contact" therewith and controlling flow of steam into the body of water in accordance with a condition of steam withdrawn from. the body.

8. In combination, a source of superheated steam, a desuperheater comprising a receptacle containing water, means to conduct superheated steam from said source and into said desuperheater to pass through the Water therein and in contact therewith, means to withdraw saturated steam from the desuper- '10 In testimony whereof I" hereunto afiix my 15 signature.

FRITZ WETTSTEIN. 

